I don’t like the very idea of aluminum foil and food, especially acidic foods like tomatoes. I’m sure I’ve already stored enough aluminum in my brain to ensure that my daughter has a daunting future…but that’s a different blog post.

So I decided to experiment with lining foil with parchment. I’ve been doing things like packets of string beans with olive oil, closed up tight so they fry until the packets are threatening to explode, but I really did not want to do this with tomatoes. So here we go…

12 – 15 small Roma, San Marzano, large cherry or other flavorful tomatoes

Chopped onion

Garlic to taste

Minced hot pepper (I used a fish pepper just because the bush exploded in the garden)

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

4 oz fresh pasta or 2.5 oz dry pasta of your preference

Veggies to add to the bowl

Grated Parmesan cheese

Chiffonade of basil

Other herbs

The longest step in this recipe is bringing a LARGE pot of water to a rapid boil. Start with that while you heat the grill.

Lay out a sheet of foil with a sheet of parchment paper on top of it. Layer the ingredients:

Grill the other veggie that you want to add. Yes, brother mine, you could grill as all piece of steak or fish or maybe some shrimp too. Cook the packet for a good 10 minutes until it’s really sizzling and has expanded. It did not expand as much as an unlined foil packet does, which I found odd.

After everything is off the grill cook the pasta.

Assemble the whole thing with an artistic flair and go directly to the front porch!